Posts Tagged ‘The Village’

A Unique Christmas In Manhattan

I was living in New York City in the Village with my very young daughter, newly divorced, alone, and quite broke. Christmas was going to be meager, or so I thought at the time, which was around 1970.

I barely had any friends in the city but around December, I met John and we quickly became friends. John was from England, kind of an offbeat free spirit and reminded me of the Beatles, who, at the time, were very popular, having recently visited New York. I would take walks and have long talks with John, who like me, seemed somewhat of a loner.

My most recent graphic design job had ended with a layoff, as had many advertising jobs around that time. Freelance graphics jobs were fewer and farther between. My financial situation required frugality, to say the least.

So Christmas Eve found me alone with my daughter, just glad to be with her. At some point there was a buzz at the door, and after buzzing back, and a bit of wait to see who it was (I lived in a 2nd floor walk up), John appeared, and with him a magnificent Scotch Pine, having dragged it through the streets of Manhattan, when some tree seller threw it out. We put it up and I had a tree, a friend and a Christmas filled with warmth and cheer, as well as spirit. I’ll never forget that Christmas, or John—who since then has enjoyed many Christmas’ with my daughter and I.

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I <3 NYC Series: New York, City of Dreams

The VillageNew York City is one of the liveliest places on Earth. There are a million things to do there. One of the most underrated but wonderful neighborhoods in New York is Harlem. In recent years it has undergone a revitalization. There is  a wonderful restaurant called Londel’s om Eighth Avenue in Harlem. It is a small place that my husband has taken me to on several occasions. When we come to Harlem, we leave Londel’s and head out shopping. We usually start on 125th street. Of these occasions, one stands out in particular. We stopped by the Apollo and took pictures. We then made our way up and down the street to all of the stores. We were able to shop and buy clothes and New York memorabilia. We also visited the new Carol’s Daughter store, which had wonderful skin care products. We finished the day by going downtown and then we had a late dinner at a small pizzeria in the village. The day was great because as we drove down Eighth Avenue we got to see all the stores and sites the city has to offer. It was one of the best days of my life! It was a very peaceful, yet completely exciting day in New York.

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Halloween Parade

You have not really experienced New York City on Halloween unless you experience the annual parade through the Village. The Village is an area in lower Manhattan. Each Halloween people from all walks of life get dressed up and parade through the streets. Gay, straight, tall, short, black, white – they are all there! Two years ago I attended the parade and saw some of the best costumes I had seen in years. A young man walked up sixth Avenue dressed as Marilyn Monroe. He was wearing the infamous white dress and had a small fan rigged to periodically blow his dress up. A couple also dressed as a toilet bowl and brush, which brought laughter to the entire crowd. A young lady had dressed as Cleopatra and had jewelery dripping off of her. Costumes are funny, scary and gorgeous, all at the same time. She was stunning. The parade makes its way up Sixth Avenue, all the while stopping traffic and attracting spectators. It culminates with a party-like atmosphere at the end, where people frequent local restaurants and pubs. The parade is one of the things that makes life in New york City fun! If you are in the city on Halloween you can not miss this annual rite of passage to becoming a true New Yorker!

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Weekend Bliss

One of the best weekend I ever spent in New York City was Labor Day of 1999. I had just started dating my husband , then boyfriend, and he had never really seen New York. I decided that with all the activities , Labor Day would be a great time to see the city. He loved the idea and left me to plan the day. I was left to decide everything from where we would eat to what we would see and do. We began the day by meeting at Columbus Circle. This seems like an odd place, but it is centrally located and allows you to go anywhere in the city. I decided to take him on the subway, which is an experience all by itself. We got to see a performance by one of the many subway performers , and my husband even did the moonwalk when the man sang Micheal Jackson. After being embarrassed, we headed to The Village and people watched. the highlight of the day came later when we went to a street fair that was being held. We went to visit vendor tables and eat all sorts of food. We ate for about six hours and ended our day shortly after. It was one of the best day I have spent in my favorite city!

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Halloween in The City

I had never truly experienced Halloween until I went to New York City to celebrate last year. One of my good friends from college knew someone who lived in Brooklyn, and he invited us to stay with him for the weekend. My friend had decided to dress up as a pirate and I would go as an embodiment of the sin “Envy”. Now, we had both been to NYC many times before, but never crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, and let me tell you, we were a tad bit scared even before the Halloween celebrations began. Pirate’s friend said in passing as we arrived “Oh, by the way, I hope you weren’t planning on wearing blue here because you might get stabbed”. (Luckily her bandana was a safe shade of red). After settling into the apartment and getting ready, we hopped on the subway and crossed back over to Manhattan. We walked around SoHo, stopped for Falafel in the Village, and ended up going into the somewhat eerie “Evolution Nature Store” to get into the Halloween spirit. There they sell craniums, stuffed animals, and butterflies pinned inside glass cases, etc. We ended our night on Manhattan in Greenwich Village where the annual Halloween Parade is held. Unfortunately that night was particularly cold and rainy, but the parade still went on and every onlooker was dressed for the occasion in various creative costumes. Getting back to Brooklyn afterward was rather tricky as the subway system is far from perfect, so if I go back this year I’ll try to find living arrangements on the “right” side of the bridge.

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An NYC Regular

Whenever I go to New York City there are certain things I always have to do when I’m there. With such a great city only a couple of states away, I often find myself catching the ACELA or Mega Bus NYC-bound, and by now I can’t count the number of times I’ve been there on my two hands. With so many different people and a great variety of happening events, there’s always something new to experience. Being of a rather restless nature, I love that about a city. Now, that being said some places are simply too good to only be seen once or twice. My first stop in the spring through fall seasons is Central Park. There is nothing more serene than walking on the winding paths beneath the lush green foliage, or stopping to watch the little kids play with their rented sailboats in the pond. After making my way through the park, I usually find myself entering the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts. Not nearly as large as Le Louvre in Paris, but the exhibitions are magnificent and it’s thereby one of my favorite museums. All this walking around and observing gets my appetite worked up which leads to a quick subway trip down to SoHo or The Village where I like to pick out one of their numerous restaurants or cafes. At some point during the day it’s also necessary to do some shopping on 5th Ave and around Times Square. If I feel like indulging, my itinerary also includes visiting Babycakes for one of their exceptional, sweet vegan cupcakes (I’m not 100% sure, but they may have non-vegan treats as well).  Hmm…perhaps it’s time for another visit to NYC?

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